NYT: The Imperial Presidency at Work

The New York Times ^ | January 15, 2006

[presidio9]

You would think that Senators Carl Levin and John McCain would have learned by now that you cannot deal in good faith with a White House that does not act in good faith. Yet both men struck bargains intended to restore the rule of law to American prison camps. And President Bush tossed them aside at the first opportunity.

Mr. Bush made a grand show of inviting Mr. McCain into the Oval Office last month to announce his support for a bill to require humane treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay and other prisons run by the American military and intelligence agencies. He seemed to have managed to get Vice President Dick Cheney to stop trying to kill the proposed Congressional ban on torture of prisoners.

The White House also endorsed a bargain between Mr. Levin and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, which tempered somewhat a noxious proposal by Mr. Graham to deny a court hearing to anyone the president declares to be an "unlawful enemy combatant." The bargain with Mr. Levin removed language that stripped away cases already before the courts, which would have been an egregious usurpation of power by one branch of government, and it made clear that those cases should remain in the courts.

Mr. Bush, however, seems to see no limit to his imperial presidency. First, he issued a constitutionally ludicrous "signing statement" on the McCain bill. The message: Whatever Congress intended the law to say, he intended to ignore it on the pretext the commander in chief is above the law. That twisted reasoning is what led to the legalized torture policies, not to mention the domestic spying program.

Then Mr. Bush went after the judiciary, scrapping the Levin-Graham bargain. The solicitor general informed the Supreme Court last week that

[snarks_when_bored]

"Let's get Saint Hillary into the White House pronto so she can save the Republic from the depredations of this dastardly Bush fellow..."

And just think: Hillary will bring back to the White House all of those furnishings and flatware and the like that she absconded with after she and her husband (the lip biter) vacated the premises a few years ago...

[George - the Other]

"You would think that Senators Carl Levin and John McCain would have learned by now that you cannot deal in good faith with a White House that does not act in good faith."

Good faith? Good grief! ... since when does any politician, let alone Levin and McCain adhere to "good faith." The NY Times specifically and libs in general seem to have this quasi Barney the purple dinosaur vision of how the world is to behave - I love you and you love me - no cheating anyone.

I can just see it now: Bin Laden scolding Al Queda for not playing fair ... yeah, right.

[Lancey Howard]

Both of the offensive theories at work here - that a president's intent in signing a bill trumps the intent of Congress in writing it, and that a president can claim power without restriction or supervision by the courts or Congress - are pet theories of Judge Samuel Alito, the man Mr. Bush chose to tilt the Supreme Court to the right.

LMAO!!!!

I don't usually waste my time reading the disgraced, former "paper of record", but I thought I'd treat myself to a laugh. Jackpot! This editorial reads like it was written by some DUer with venom jusr dripping from the corners of her mouth.

Hilarious stuff!! Shamefully juvenile and totally unprofessional, but hilarious!

[Fenris6]

You sure this isn't satire? LMAO. What a rag.

[StAnDeliver]

Imagine if the White House, published an unsigned document stating that, under the RICO statutes, the New York Times was considered a criminal enterprise.

[mfulstone]

MOONBATS LIVE!

[KeyWest]

Someone send them a copy of the Constitution. Obviously they have a new and revised version marked up by Justice Ginsburg.

[patj]

If there is another attack on the US, I suggest that every US citizen sue the NYT.

[SkyPilot]

intended to restore the rule of law

I have to laugh out loud every time I hear the Slimes speak of the "rule of law." They don't believe in the rule of law.

Who do they think they are fooling?

[carlr]

Mr. Bush, however, seems to see no limit to his imperial presidency.

Ah yes,lets try to turn the hands of time back to the MSMs glory days of destroying Nixon.

[MNJohnnie]

Excuse me Morons at the DNC Times. The President is the Chief Executive of the USA, NOT a subsidiary of the Congress. Congress claimed "We have these powers", The President said, "No, I have these powers you cannot impinge on." Some one will have to bring a legal challenge and the Courts will render a judgment. That is what the Check and Balance system is all about. CONGRESS is NOT King, they do not have the right to make law on any matter because they feel like it. There ARE Constitutional Checks on the Congress's power. It time the idiots in the Junk Media, and the handful of "Libertarian" Freepers, learn how our system is SUPPOSE to work.

[jmaroneps37]

The last time we heard the ratmedia use "Imperial Presidency" was at Nixon. More proof that Rush is right, these mutts do live in the past.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The solution to these "intolerable" conditions at prison camps is simply to take no prisoners.

[Simo Hayha]

I've been day-dreaming about what happens when federal law enforcement agencies surround and enter the Times and arrest them for treason. I suspect more than one gun will be discovered on the premises. I imagine the Times editorial staff will endorse the idea that the building and contents,therefore, should be forfeited and that all sentences handed down should run consecutively.

[billhilly]

Contrary to libthink, John McCain is not the republican leader of this country, thank God.

[mewzilla]

They're in a meldown over there.

[mewzilla]

meldown=meltdown

[Uncle Vlad]

Who do they think they are fooling?

Apparently not as many people as they used to--they just laid off 500 employees! Bwahahahahahaha!!!

[Gay State Conservative]

Sounds like some breathtakingly rich and "progressive" denizen of the Upper West Side didn't get his/her/its cafe latte this morning.